What is your learning style?

What is your learning style? To know this, just take a glance and select your option. Based on the score you will know what kind of a learner you are and work on other learning styles too. Basically there are 7 kinds of learning styles: Linguistic, Spatial, Logical, Musical, Bodily, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal. Let us understand the characteristic features of each first. 1. Linguistic- This type of learner: • Loves to read, write and tell stories • Memorizes places, names, dates and trivia easily • Repeat everything word to word • Best learn by saying, hearing, seeing words What you can do to bring out the Shakespear in them?  Encourage their creativity  Ask them to write down words and phrases and it is locked in their memory forever  Encourage their participation in spelling bees and creative writing courses: short stories, novel, poems, haiku, etc 2. Spatial- This type of learner: • Are visualizers • Day dreamers • Stay away from reality (like me ;-) partially) • Good at working with pictures and colours • Very artistic What you can do to develop an international theme park from their imagination?  Allow them to develop their senses  Allow them to play educational computer games  Allow them to day dream under a tree (you won’t be able to restrict though)  Encourage creative endeavours 3. Logical- This type of learner: • Is mathematically inclined • Enjoy solving problems • Are logical and straight forward • Enjoy building blocks and solve puzzles • Will plague you with questions and curious to know how one thing relates to the other • Are good at explaining process rather than come up with just an answer • Learn best by classifying, categorizing, and working with abstracts What you can do to create another Star Trek Hero or an engineer?  Answer their questions with great patience and satisfy their hunger for knowledge 4. Musical – This type of learner: • Walks around humming • Studies with head-phones on their ears • Notice details in pitch and rhythms (unnoticed by normal listener) • Keep tune and adept at turning abstract into concrete objects • Learn best through music, melody and rhythm What you can do to give birth to a pop-star singer?  Incorporate music to teach lessons and difficult concepts  Ask them to write a song about the lesson  Teach them a song  Encourage natural love for music as they tune it into their lives and make it happier 5. Bodily – This type of learner: • Is never static…. Always restless and on the move • Keep touching things as they walk • Use body language to convey their feelings • Play sports rather than sit and read a book • Are good at multi-tasking • Are generally recognized as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) • Display less attention span What can you do to help channelize their extra energy?  Implement active education  Take them on short field trips to teach subjects geography and nature  Incorporate sense development and interaction with space during lessons  Shorten teaching time (15-20 mins)  Change subjects frequently 6. Interpersonal – This type of learner: • Make many friends • Are good leader and communicators • Adept to any social situation • Peacemakers of family • Do best in group situations • Are patient, understanding, and emphatic What can you do to see him rule the state or the nation?  Encourage their love of people  Allow their association with different types of people  Provide opportunities to mingle, relate, interview, share and compare other people  Remember to support and accept their friends (though not always) 7. Intrapersonal – This type of learner:  Are lone and strong people  Are independent, and stand out from the crowd  Are silent  Have deep understanding of things  Are self instructors What can you do to encourage social skills?  Encourage social interactivities  Create situations to socialize (though you need to leave them by themselves)  Encourage their silent space Every learner may possess more than one or two learning styles. Learner with more than two or more learning styles display multiple intelligences. Determine your childs’ learning style and figure out ways to incorporate that learning style into your teaching. Continue to encourage the student to figure out alternative styles, and teach them how to bring each type into their life.

Teaching Creativity

In today’s Common Core dominated, test-taking, data-driven schools, creativity is often like everybody’s favorite eccentric aunt: we all say we love her just the way she is, but nobody wants to actually be responsible for taking care of and nurturing her. And she’s really inconvenient, immeasurable, erratic, irascible, and unpredictable. So many teachers are forced to teach to state tests that, little by little, creative projects and critical thinking have been forced to the back of the educational closet. This isn’t because teachers like it this way; they feel it’s a necessary evil given the idea that student test scores play a large role in how teachers are evaluated. Why Fight for Creativity in the Classroom I am here to stand proudly for creativity, in all its messy, out-of-the-lines glory. Why? Because ultimately, creativity not only improves those pesky test scores, but it also contributes to what should be our ultimate goal as educators: inspiring students to become curious, engaged, and interested in the world around them and within them. “The great engine that drives innovation and invention in society comes from people whose flame of creativity was kept alive in childhood. Research shows that, if not nurtured, creativity takes a nosedive by fourth grade. Young children who were awesome artists in preschool no longer color the sky orange and pink just because they love the glowing colors,” says Alice Sterling Honig, PhD, of Syracuse University. In large part, this happens within the confines of the classroom walls. We train them to spit out the answers we want rather than find the answers themselves, because it’s quicker and gets a more consistent result. But is it the right thing to do? The Bottom Line on Creativity Every invention, both practical and whimsical, was the product of creativity. The car you drive, the clothes you wear, the music you hear, some television shows you watch, the books you’ve read, medicines that have cured your ills—all these came from a creative mind, someone who could take existing information and knowledge and tweak it slightly to make something totally new and original. “Creativity has always been prized in American society,” according to author Po Bronson, “but it’s never really been understood.” Bronson and co-author Ashley Merryman wrote a cover story for July’s Newsweek Magazine titled The Creative Crisis. The writers note that “while our creativity scores decline unchecked, the current national strategy for creativity consists of little more than praying for a Greek muse to drop by our houses. The problems we face now, and in the future, simply demand that we do more than just hope for inspiration to strike.” As teachers, it is our duty to introduce and nurture creative thought in the classroom. It’s messy and often difficult to measure, but this is the stuff that dreams are made of, and America desperately needs dreamers. Of course, they still need to be able to read, write, and do arithmetic, but emphasizing those skills at the expense of critical and divergent thinking is a mistake, not only in a practical sense, but also because we are called to inspire and ignite young imaginations, not shove them into a box with a scantron. How to Bring Creativity into the Classroom It really depends on your subject area and/or grade level, but all teachers can sprinkle some pixie dust on their curriculum: Get Visual Allow students to look at photos or paintings and make up stories about them. Integrate Music

Play different kinds of music and ask students to visualize the scenes that might be going on while the music is playing, and have them draw or write poetry, or create a short, short story. Remember the old Schoolhouse Rock? I learned more about the Constitution from those little segments with music than I did in all my high school classes. Historical Creativity

English teachers really have great opportunities to infuse creativity, but other subject areas lend themselves also: in history or social science, have students write letters form the point of view of an historical character, or write a scene of dialogue between a historical character and a modern-day politician or pop star. Math & Science Math and science might be more of a challenge, but consider letting students create homes or buildings out of geometric shapes, or write a song about basic math principles. There are also many resources for creative projects emerging, since the issue is gaining attention. Look for project-based instruction, or constructivist learning, and you might find some interesting ideas that may inspire creativity in you. Creativity drives innovation, so spark that creative 'YOU' and share with the world your new discovery :) All the best!!

Socratic teaching

The oldest, and still the most powerful, teaching tactic for fostering critical thinking is Socratic teaching. In Socratic teaching we focus on giving students questions, not answers. We model an inquiring, probing mind by continually probing into the subject with questions. Fortunately, the abilities we gain by focusing on the elements of reasoning in a disciplined and self-assessing way, and the logical relationships that result from such disciplined thought, prepare us for Socratic questioning Thankfully, there is a predictable set of relationships that hold for all subjects and disciplines. This is given in the general logic of reasoning, since every subject has been developed by those who had: shared goals and objectives (which defined the subject focus) shared questions and problems (whose solution they pursued) shared information and data (which they used as an empirical basis) shared modes of interpreting or judging that information shared specialized concepts and ideas (which they used to help them organize their data) shared key assumptions (that gave them a basis from which to collectively begin) a shared point of view (which enabled them to pursue common goals from a common framework) Each of the elements represents a dimension into which one can delve in questioning a person. We can question goals and purposes. We can probe into the nature of the question, problem, or issue that is on the floor. We can inquire into whether or not we have relevant data and information. We can consider alternative interpretations of the data and information. We can analyze key concepts and ideas. We can question assumptions being made. We can ask students to trace out the implications and consequences of what they are saying. We can consider alternative points of view. All of these, and more, are the proper focus of the Socratic questioner. As a tactic and approach, Socratic questioning is a highly disciplined process. The Socratic questioner acts as the logical equivalent of the inner critical voice which the mind develops when it develops critical thinking abilities. The contributions from the members of the class are like so many thoughts in the mind. All of the thoughts must be dealt with and they must be dealt with carefully and fairly. By following up all answers with further questions, and by selecting questions which advance the discussion, the Socratic questioner forces the class to think in a disciplined, intellectually responsible manner, while yet continually aiding the students by posing facilitating questions. A Socratic questioner should: a) keep the discussion focused b) keep the discussion intellectually responsible c) stimulate the discussion with probing questions d) periodically summarize what has and what has not been dealt with and/or resolved e) draw as many students as possible into the discussion.

Teaching tactics to encourage active learning

How would you as an active instructor or teacher ensure that your students are equally active. Here are some useful tactics that you can use during class to ensure that students are actively engaged in thinking about the content. Students should be called on randomly(using the deck of cards method for instance) so that everyone participates. When students do not know when they will be called on they are much more likely to remain alert and engaged in the learning process. Students should be routinely called upon to: Summarize or put into their own words what the teacher or another student has said. Elaborate on what they have said. Relate the issue or content to their own knowledge and experience. Give examples to clarify or support what they have said.\ Make connections between related concepts. Restate the instructions or assignment in their own words. State the question at issue. Describe to what extent their point of view on the issue is different from or similar to the point of view of the instructor, other students, the author, etc. Take a few minutes to write down any of the above. Write down the most pressing question on their mind at this point. The instructor then uses the above tactics to help students reason through the questions. Discuss any of the above with a partner and then participate in a group discussion facilitated by the instructor. Try out !!

Mathew Arnold - Study of Poetry

Academic writing

Traditional System of Education

Education is like a culture passed on from elders, teachers, gurus as well as the society to the younger generation. Why to educate? Is it to earn name? Fame? Earn more money? Is this all that education is about? Does this mean, all those are uneducated have no name, are not recognised in the society or are living a life of pauper? If no, then what is the real essence of education?

Initially education for open for all and seen as a method of attaining moksha or enlightment. It was imparted by a Guru where his students or disciples strictly followed the guidelines or teachings and was considered wholesome and valuable to get enlightened about life. Traditional methods of education  made students face the challenges of life with courage. Education was imparted through practice. Students were trained with real life skills in such a way, that it prepared them to live life independently and with dignity.  Education was offered which satisfied the living conditions prevailing at the time.

Gradually, as superiority complexes rose, education was imparted only to the highest class of social ladder who dominated the illiterates and the uneducated. Education was imparted on the basis of caste and the related duties that one had to perform as a member of a specific caste.Women were considered unworthy of such education as the belief was - Man should learn and earn for the family. Women should follow her man and take care of house hold issues. Therefore the era continued to be dominated by educated male population.Teaching was provided in the exact and required skills as appropriate to the time.

 At Gurukul. everybody was considered equal. Bullying and teasing was strictly prohibited and the actions were severely punished. Parents were at ease because they knew their children were in safe hands. Even parents obeyed  Guru and gave him full rights to take charge of their child's life. But this not meant that Guru misused his powers and misguided his students. The great responsibility of molding a character (student)  in mind, body and soul  lay in his hands. Failure or success of a disciple meant the failure or success of Guru.
 Such was the system prevailing in India.

But as time progressed, the entire perspective of the education system has underwent a sea change.  It is widely acclaimed now that the class room education does not teach the actual required skill set either for life as it is perceived now or add value to the humanity at large.

continued in my next blog..... 

Smartphone Use Rising Fast Among Teens

From Digital Education

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The use of smartphones has jumped among teenagers over the past year, according to a newly relased national survey, which also shows that one in four of youths in that age group access the Internet mostly through their cellphones.

The results, released today by the Pew Research Center, offer one of the clearest indications to date of the extent to which many teenagers have abandoned desktop computers in favor of mobile devices.

Roughly three-quarters of youths ages 12-17 are mobile users of the Internet, who go online via cellphones, tablets, and other mobile devices at least some of the time, the Pew study says. Seventy-eight percent of teenagers now have a cell phone. And 37 percent of youths ages 12-17 have a smartphone, an increase from 23 percent in 2011, according to the study, "Teens and Technology, 2013"

The survey was based on a nationally representative phone survey of about 800 teenagers and 800 parents, conducted last year with a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Among the other findings:

• 95 percent of teens today use the Internet, a number that has remained roughly consistent since 2006;

• 23 percent of teenagers own a tablet computing device, while 25 percent of adults have one. Perhaps not surprisingly, with adults and teens, higher family education and income levels are directly linked to tablet ownership;

• The most likely cellphone Internet users are girls ages 14-17, 34 percent of whom fall in that category, compared with 24 percent of boys the same age;

• Roughly one-quarter of teens are cellphone-mostly Internet users, compared with just 15 percent of adults. Among teenage smartphone owners, a much larger portion, half of them, use cellphones primarily to access the Internet.

"In many ways, teens represent the leading edge of mobile connectivity," Mary Madden, a senior researcher for the Pew Research Center's Internet Project, said in a statement. "And the patterns of their technology use often signal future changes in the adult population."

Here's a breakdown of trends in Internet use among teens and adults:

Character Education Seen as Student-Achievement Tool

Character Education Seen as Student-Achievement Tool

Teachers Report 'Major Impact' of Internet on Learning - Digital Education - Education Week

Teachers Report 'Major Impact' of Internet on Learning - Digital Education - Education Week

The Tech Drive

Education or teaching is no longer taking place within the four walls of classrooms. The challenge lies in exploring all the realms of life where learning occurs.. at home, in the playground, in the park, cinema halls, in theatres, hotels, music room, with friends, with relatives, neighbours etc. Every aspect,  every action, every place, every thing in life  has something to teach.  But how often do we realize that learning is taking place?


In today's global education, we find technology replacing teachers or instead we  can say that teachers are now playing a different role as mentors or instructors. The way we work, and the world in which we work, is changing. To cope with these changes the methods of teaching should be changed, in order to help students face the challenges more confidently. To meet this requirement, the solution that comes to our rescue is technology. E-learning or technology based teaching is one of the emerging trends in education. Much of the formal coaching and peer support can no longer be assumed. E-learning can provide the skill development needs of the day. 

Our new generation is emerging characterised, in part, by people who are young enough to be technologically competent. They are comfortable with the online world and understand the need for life-long learning. There is almost no facet of working life - from email communications, knowledge portals and information databases - that has not been touched by the Internet and/or technology.  The greatest challenge for teachers today is to prove themselves they are tech savy and keep in pace with the generation in providing the information they need at any time and any where. So, the call of the hour is to blend our learning process with technology for better transfer of knowledge and enhancement of skills. Let us take an example of how reading can be improved by embracing technology. 

For example, computers can increase the interest level for students while keeping the text simple and easy to read. Benefit of using computers for reading instruction is that the computer offers immediate feedback on performance. They also can provide added practice when necessary.  According to Case and Truscott (1999), students have been able to improve their sight word vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Computer based reading instruction also allows for "increased interaction with texts, attention to individual needs, and increased independence through an ability to read texts they would not otherwise be able to read" (Case & Truscott, 1999). 

Technology can also be used to improve parent involvement in their child's education while improving the parents' literacy as well. Landerholm, Karr, and Munshi (2000) created a three year program in Chicago with four specific goals to help parents: become involved in the school community and become comfortable on campus, enjoy reading and writing alone and with their children, understand science and computer technology, and improve their own literacy. This project was as much for the parents as for the child. The computers were the drawing factor for the parents to become involved in the program, though they were not used initially. The program began by using other forms of technology such as photographs. 

Photos taken at field trips along with the special activities conducted can enhance and retain the learning experience. Parents and children can create a memory book using the photos and written text about the pictures. This leads to scanning the photos and typing the text onto the pages. The experience can be both thrilling and  interactive. While creating book reports on the computer, children's creativity can be explored. 

Students can be allowed to use softwares that allows them to incorporate video clips, sounds, images, photographs into their reports. ... amazing !

It is important to recognise that  technology aids in effective teaching and learning happens when teaching instructions are structured and guided by effective teaching methodologies and  techniques. 

Happy E-learning!